That night, Echo gathered Leyla and Mira in his room. The amulets lay on the table between them.
"We need to get stronger," he said. "Faster. Missions give AP, but our bonds give something more direct."
Leyla's eyes gleamed. "You mean the growth after we…"
"Yes. It's not just Bond Points. It's bloodline progression. Stability." He looked at Mira. "You're close to Stage 2. I can feel it."
Mira nodded. "I've been studying spatial theory. My body is… ready."
Echo turned to Leyla. "And you're on the edge of Stage 2 as well. Your moon-energy is restless."
Leyla stood. "Then what are we waiting for?"
What followed was not just intimacy—it was a ritual.
They moved to Echo's bed, a tangle of limbs, warmth, and whispered promises. This time, it was not separate pairings, but a union of three. Leyla' fierceness tempered Mira's gentleness; Mira's spatial awareness wove around Leyla's predatory grace. Echo was the anchor, the conductor of their shared energy.
He poured Bond Points into them—not as a system function, but as an act of will, of love, of trust. The room filled with light: silver from Leyla, starry blue from Mira, and a deep, gold-and-violet pulse from Echo's anomaly core.
[ Triple Bond Synchronization achieved ]
[ Leyla: Moonstalker Stage 2 unlocked ]
[ Mira: World-Walker Stage 2 unlocked ]
[ Bond Points +10 total ]
[ Echo receives: Bonded Harmony – +10% to all stats when within 50m of both bonded companions ]
[ New ability unlocked: Resonance Field – nearby allies gain minor regeneration and energy stability ]
After, they lay spent, glowing faintly, their energies intertwined. Leyla's form now shifted subtly—her ears slightly longer, her claws perpetually tipped with moonlight. Mira's eyes held tiny starscapes, and she could now, with focus, phase her hand through solid matter.
They were changing. Evolving.
Together.